A&M’s Blair recalls failed recruitment of Stanford sisters

Every time Texas A&M coach Gary Blair would fly from Houston on a
recruiting trip the last several years, he would encounter a bad memory.

On the way to the airport, he would drive past Cy-Fair High School and recall
his failed recruitment of sisters Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike. Blair and
A&M will get another reminder Sunday, facing the Ogwumike sisters and
Stanford. Nnemkadi leads Stanford in scoring (17.0 ppg) while Chiney tops the
Cardinal in rebounding (8.1 rpg).

“They’re really physical, and they’re so athletic it’s unbelievable,” A&M
guard Sydney Carter said. “If you think you have them blocked out, they just go
get the ball.”

Carter has first-hand experience. Her DeSoto team lost to Cy-Fair, 50-33, for
the 2008 5A state title.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike recalled that Blair “definitely did recruit me hard” and
described him as “great in the recruiting process.” She eventually opted for the
Cardinal, after culling her choices down to Stanford, Baylor, Duke and Notre
Dame. Sister Chiney followed her to the West Coast two years later.

Blair in his element: As usual, Blair won the press
conference with humor and the willingness to answer every question in the utmost
detail.

At one point, he tried to solicit a Willie Mays autograph from a San
Francisco writer. That prompted a Connecticut reporter to ask Blair if he wanted
anything from the Nutmeg State. Yes, said Blair, invoking UConn coach Geno
Auriemma.“Geno’s paycheck. His restaurants. His summer camps. Everything,” Blair
said. “I mean, what does Geno not have?”

Blair also played to the Indiana fans at Conseco Fieldhouse,
while making a statement to his team.

In homage to “Hoosiers,” Blair brought out a ladder at the end of Saturday’s
public practice and confirmed with a tape measure that the rim was indeed 10
feet high.

Briefly: A&M is negotiating with Connecticut and ESPN
about a possible televised meeting next season in the Jimmy V Women’s Classic.
A&M must first rearrange its schedule to accommodate the meeting. … Becky
Gates, the wife of defense secretary Robert Gates, is expected to attend the
A&M game. Blair was hired when Robert Gates was Texas A&M president. …
A&M has pretty much exhausted its allotment of 800 tickets. Two charter
planes of Aggie officials and fans were scheduled Saturday from College Station
to Indianapolis.

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